Porter: Putting Orange County Families First

ByKatie Porter |October 26, 2018

Daily, we hear news of partisan fights, name-calling and endless attacks in Washington D.C. President Donald Trump seemingly relishes in our nation’s divide, while his rhetoric inflames our national dialogue with insults and misinformation. This acrimony blinds us to what is at stake in the decisions that are made in Congress: votes that could limit or expand access to health care; votes that will worsen or fight climate change; votes that cripple our kids with student loans or give them an affordable world-class education and job opportunities.

Congress can actually work for the American people. But whether it does so, or whether it continues to put special interests ahead of families, is entirely up to us. We, the people, deserve a government that works for us.

The reality is that we have more that unites us, than divides us. In Orange County, we have worked to create some of the most wonderful communities in the world, places where our innovative and diverse workforce can treasure our families and beautiful landscape. We are bound together by our universal aspirations for safe schools, clean air and affordable, quality healthcare. We share a desire for economic prosperity and a fair shot at the American Dream.

As a UC Irvine Law Professor and consumer protection attorney, I have spent nearly twenty years fighting special interests and Wall Street banks on behalf of consumers and families.

Now, I’m running for Congress because we need a Congresswoman who stands up for families, employees, small businesses, public schools, and fiscal common sense. I’ll never let powerful special interests dictate what happens in Washington. I refuse corporate PAC money because voters deserve a democracy that is built from their voices, not bought by a handful of lobbyists.

I’ve spent my career fighting to do what is right for families, and that is exactly what I will do in Congress: put Orange County families first 100% of the time.

Unlike my opponent, I live and work in the 45th Congressional District. I have kids who attend our public schools. I am a leader in Cub Scouts and, for almost two years, I have listened to families in Orange County, holding town halls, touring businesses, and working and living in Irvine with my three children. We do not want partisan bickering. We want a Congress that delivers:

A tax system that is fair to all Americans, and a reversal of the Trump tax plan that punishes Californians and homeowners by limiting our state and local tax deductions. The cost of living in Orange County is sky high, leaving our educated and hardworking families struggling to pay their mortgages and save for retirement. We simply cannot afford to pay thousands more in taxes in April 2019 because our Congresswoman gave away billions to billionaires and special interests.

Accessible and affordable health care, and the courage to stand up to the big pharma and health insurance companies that are keeping us from being able to afford our doctors. When my appendix burst this summer, I had emergency surgery to save my life. My surgeon’s fees were denied by my health insurer because although I went to in-network hospital I had not inquired–on the operating table–whether my surgeon was in-network. For too many of us, the out-of-pocket maximum is out of reach. The fine print in our insurance plan makes it impossible to anticipate our costs. And skyrocketing pharmaceutical costs are pushing up premiums and making it harder and harder for employers to provide insurance. I’ll take on the drug companies, reversing the anti-competitive law that prohibits the government from negotiating drug prices for Medicare. And I’ll fight to prevent the passage of Trumpcare, because that would take away healthcare for millions of Americans who would lose protections for pre-existing conditions.

Social Security and Medicare are vital programs for our seniors, and we need to protect these programs as families struggle to save for retirement. I would reverse the Trump tax plan that adds $1.9 trillion to our national debt, leaving retired Americans to suffer to pay for tax giveaways to our largest corporations and Wall Street. My academic research shows that Americans 65 years and older are the fastest growing group of bankruptcy filers. I’ll fight to stop that shameful situation and expand Social Security with an accurate cost-of-living adjustment.

Environmental protections that keep us from returning to the years of smog alerts and oil spills that California used to suffer. I have not taken one cent from Big Oil and I never will. Clean energy is one of Orange County’s fastest growing industries, creating jobs and fighting climate change. I’ll never sell out our beaches to satisfy Big Oil’s profiteering.

Investment in education, including in science and technology research that is driving innovation in Orange County’s economy. My employer, UC Irvine, is a world class university, training the next generation of engineers, doctors, scientists, and researchers that will let America keep its footing in the global economy. Our kids deserve safe and high-quality public education, not Secretary Betsy DeVos’ plan to put the shareholders of for-profit schools ahead of our public school students.

I believe that we deserve a Congresswoman who fights for us, and stands up to the powerful special interests: Wall Street Billionaires, Big Pharma, and Big Oil that threaten opportunity for our kids and our futures. I’ve been fighting for families my whole career. That’s why I decided to run for Congress. To continue the fight for families and put an end to the special interests that pit us against each other for their benefit. I promise to fight for Orange County families 100% of the time. And that is why I am asking for your vote on November 6.

Now is our time to be heard. Please vote to give Orange County citizens a voice in the Congress. Visit katieporter.comto learn about my candidacy.

Katie Porter is a UC Irvine law professor, mother of three, and consumer protection attorney. She is a candidate for the 45th Congressional District.

Opinions expressed in editorials belong to the authors and not Voice of OC.

Voice of OC is interested in hearing different perspectives and voices. If you want to weigh in on this issue or others please contact Voice of OC Involvement Editor Theresa Sears at TSears@voiceofoc.org

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